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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 5 · Chapter 12: Conversation Between Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata
5.12.105.12.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.12.11

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The self-realized brāhmaṇa Jaḍa Bharatasince 5.12.5-6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitJaḍa Bharata → King Rahūgaṇa

ज्ञानं विशुद्धं परमार्थमेक-

मनन्तरं त्वबहिर्ब्रह्म सत्यम् ।

प्रत्यक् प्रशान्तं भगवच्छब्दसंज्ञं

यद्वासुदेवं कवयो वदन्ति ॥ ११ ॥

jñānaṁ viśuddhaṁ paramārtham ekam

anantaraṁ tv abahir brahma satyam

pratyak praśāntaṁ bhagavac-chabda-saṁjñaṁ

yad vāsudevaṁ kavayo vadanti

Translation

What, then, is the ultimate truth? The answer is that nondual knowledge is the ultimate truth. It is devoid of the contamination of material qualities. It gives us liberation. It is the one without a second, all-pervading and beyond imagination. The first realization of that knowledge is Brahman. Then Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is realized by the yogīs who try to see Him without grievance. This is the second stage of realization. Finally, full realization of the same supreme knowledge is realized in the Supreme Person. All learned scholars describe the Supreme Person as Vāsudeva, the cause of Brahman, Paramātmā and others.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vāsudeva Is the Complete Absolute Truth

  1. 1

    The Absolute Truth is free from material contamination and beyond the material qualities. Realizing this truth brings spiritual success and liberation.

  2. 2

    Brahman is the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Paramātmā is His expansion. Full realization of the same Absolute Truth is Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa’s body and soul; He is the complete whole. To understand Him properly and surrender to Him, one must approach an authorized spiritual master.

Key points from the purport
  • The impersonal Brahman effulgence of the Absolute Truth consists of the bodily rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • The wise man can understand that ultimately Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is the cause of Brahman, and Paramātmā, the Supersoul.
  • The real tattva, Absolute Truth, is Bhagavān, but due to incomplete realization of the Absolute Truth, people sometimes describe the same Viṣṇu as impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 3

The purport of SB 5.12.11 quotesBG 7.19

Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. The wise man can understand that ultimately Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is the cause of Brahman, and Paramātmā, the Supersoul.

The purport of SB 5.12.11 quotesSB 1.2.11

bhagavān iti śabdyate. From the very beginning, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi: we meditate on the supreme truth.

The purport of SB 5.12.11 quotesBG 4.34

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ. Without approaching an authorized person, one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Misjudgment → Humility and insight. Spiritual insight hides behind social appearances.

Chapters 10–14 of Canto 5: Jaḍa Bharata instructs Rahūgaṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: Conversation Between Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Absolute Truth is beyond illusion and is manifest in three features — impersonal Brahman, localized Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, called Vāsudeva by His devotees.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jñānamthe supreme knowledge
  2. viśuddhamwithout contamination
  3. parama-arthamgiving the ultimate goal of life
  4. ekamunified
  5. anantaramwithout interior, unbroken
  6. tualso
  7. abahiḥwithout exterior
  8. brahmathe Supreme
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.12

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “absolute truth”, “understand”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.12

    In this verse: “material”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.12

    In this verse: “contamination”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Why is authorized guidance important for my understanding of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Write down one sincere question about Kṛṣṇa to ask an authorized spiritual teacher.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 1.2.11

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.12's connections

Live this todayVāsudeva Is the Complete Absolute TruthThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 5.12.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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